Ps Darin Browne brings life changing messages from Ignite Christian Church Woombye, Australia, packed with scripture and powerful teaching that will change your life forever!
Episodes
Monday Feb 22, 2016
Monday Feb 22, 2016
WAIT FOR THE LORD
I must confess to you, I have a wait problem. I hate waiting, I struggle to wait for things and I want things instantly!
Psalms 27:14
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
I have often said that this is my least favourite verse in the Bible, because I hate waiting for anything, don't you?
We live in a society that demands things immediately. We have instant coffee, Instant communication, instant cash loans. We want everything now, and we will even pay interest to buy something on credit so we don't have to wait! Buy now, pay later, 24 months interest free.
GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT
My parents taught me the principle, "Good things come to those who wait." In their generation they knew how to wait for something good. They saved rather than use credit. They persisted rather than quitting. They saw it through!
In our modern world, if it doesn't happen quick, we move on to something else. We change channel, we click on the next link. Researchers now tell us that 50-80% of Internet users leave a website in 8 seconds or less. In fact, when we go online we experience frontal lobe changes, resulting in us reading less thoroughly and skimming more.
And we're like that with everything in life... Our job, sometimes marriage, often church... We don't wait, we don't persist, we just quit!
Lamentations 3:25
The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
Our spiritual condition is not a smash and grab, it's a long, slow, persistent and sustained growth.
We all know that waiting, while it might be uncomfortable, generally results in good things. So what are you waiting for in God right now? What are you seeking Him for which seems delayed in coming?
DELAYED GRATIFICATION EXPERIMENT: THE MARSHMALLOW EXPERIMENT
A 40 Year experiment by Stanford professor Walter Mischel began in the 1960s.
During his experiments, Mischel and his team tested hundreds of children of around the ages of 4 and 5 years old and revealed what is now believed to be one of the most important characteristics for success in health, work, and life.
The experiment began by bringing each child into a private room, sitting them down in a chair, and placing a marshmallow on the table in front of them.
At this point, the researcher offered a deal to the child.
The researcher told the child that he was going to leave the room and that if the child did not eat the marshmallow while he was away, then they would be rewarded with a second marshmallow. However, if the child decided to eat the first one before the researcher came back, then they would not get a second marshmallow.
So the choice was simple: one treat right now or two treats later.
The researcher left the room for 15 minutes.
As you can imagine, the footage of the children waiting alone in the room was rather entertaining. Some kids jumped up and ate the first marshmallow as soon as the researcher closed the door. Others wiggled and bounced and scooted in their chairs as they tried to restrain themselves, but eventually gave in to temptation a few minutes later. And finally, a few of the children did manage to wait the entire time.
Then they tracked these same children over decades, and the results are interesting...
The children who were willing to delay gratification and waited to receive the second marshmallow ended up having higher SAT scores, lower levels of substance abuse, lower likelihood of obesity, better responses to stress, better social skills as reported by their parents, and generally better scores in a range of other life measures.
In other words, this ability to wait and delay gratification is proven to be critical for success in almost every aspect of life.
Success usually comes down to choosing the pain of discipline over the ease of distraction. And that’s exactly what delayed gratification is all about.
Later researchers added a twist... They gave the children varied experiences before they ran this test. So some kids were let down by the researcher, promised things that never happened. Others were given reliable experiences, promised things and then given what they were promised.
The children in the unreliable group had no reason to trust that the researchers would bring a second marshmallow and thus they didn’t wait very long to eat the first one.
Meanwhile, the children in the second group were training their brains to see delayed gratification as a positive. Every time the researcher made a promise and then delivered on it, the child’s brain registered two things: 1) waiting for gratification is worth it and 2) I have the capability to wait. As a result, the second group waited an average of four times longer than the first group.
So learning to wait patiently is about trusting the one you are waiting for.
That's why I have you reading the Bible every day. If you learn to know the Lord, you will learn to trust Him. You will learn to trust Him so much that you will wait for Him. Knowing leads to trust leads to waiting patiently.
GIVE ME PATIENCE, AND GIVE IT NOW!
One Bible story that illustrates lack of patience, and particularly connects with men, is the story of Esau. We can understand how Esau felt after he came in from a long day in the fields. He had been hunting, and he was tired, hot and famished. Hunger consumed him, so much so that his appetite, and his desire for immediate gratification, overruled his self-control, and his care for his future, and generations to come! He had no thought for the future. He saw it, smelled it and wanted that stew—now!
We’ve all been there, literally and figuratively. Just before mealtime you’re raiding the cupboard or the fridge. “Where’s something to tide me over? Got to have something! So what if I ruin my appetite?” You want it now.
And food is just the beginning: New electronic “toys” beckon. The latest vacation spot beckons. New car, new house... So to get what we want, now, we unadvisedly bust the budget.
Or We see an alluring woman and lust sparks our desire. We take a step closer. Our appetite overrules self-control. But there’s always a price to pay.
Instead of going to God’s Word for direction when tough temptations loom, or instead of using the brains God gave us, we go with our gut. Or worse, we fly on autopilot, not giving a second thought to the consequences of our actions. Enjoy now, pay later!
Like Esau giving up his birthright for some bread and stew, we sometimes exchange true joy for a temporary thrill, a blessed future for immediate fulfillment. We carelessly toss aside our imperishable spiritual birthright for a consumable—and fleeting—fantasy.
BUY NOW! PAY LATER! FOR A LIMITED TIME!
The rewards of obedience to God’s will are flushed away every day by such hasty, impatient choices. We give up our financial security or our own sexual purity for a rush that lasts only seconds. The regret, however, can last for years.
So before giving in, stop and pray. Give it some time. Then take another look at the price tag on that spiritual birthright God offers. It’s marked “priceless,” so don't throw it away in your impatience!
Here's a hint... Jesus, when it's Him asking you to do something, always says "count the cost".
Luke 14:28-33
For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?
Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,
saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’
Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?
And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.
So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
But the devil never asks you to count the cost! He says, like Nike, "Just do it." Buy now, pay later, but he doesn't reveal the cost of the later payment.
But God does... He warns us
Galatians 6:7-8
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
WHY DOES GOD MAKE YOU WAIT?
1. GOD MAKES YOU WAIT BECAUSE HE HAS HIS REASONS
God is God. He is in control of all things, and He loves you. But so many Christians chase Him for what He can do, not who He is.
Isaiah 55:8-9
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Things is, God is not a performing dog. I know of people travelling interstate to see a prophet or healing ministry. That's not wrong or bad, but it will not sustain you in your darkest hour. God's Word will.
Don't build your life on signs and wonders, on the latest fad or the bug successful church or ministry. They are great, but God is God, and He is the one you need to know personally. If He makes you wait, He has His reasons. Don't stop your quest to know Him more by focusing on the good things He blesses you with, or could bless you with!
2. GOD MAKES YOU WAIT TO SHOW HIS POWER AND SOVEREIGNTY
Sometimes it is to show His power and His sovereignty, that men may know that the Lord has a right to give or to withhold. More frequently the delay is for our profit, so that we might learn to trust Him more, no matter the circumstances, no matter the cost!
He does this so we don't trust in the manifestations of God, but God Himself.
Job 1:21
And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Job knew that God can give, and He can take. He is sovereign. Job said he would trust even if God decides to allow him to suffer loss. Do you trust God that much?
We lost a lot of money 7 years ago in an investment collapse, including our home. All through that time this verse from Job meant so much to us and I reached the point where I told God that even if He takes my money, my home and even those I love from me, or delays what I might feel I need or want, I will not stop trusting God!
Job 13:15
Though he slay me, I will hope in him;
3. GOD MAKES YOU WAIT SO THAT YOUR DESIRES MAY BECOME MORE FERVENT
Perhaps you are kept waiting in order that your desires may be more fervent. God knows that delay will quicken and increase desire, and that if He keeps you waiting, you will see your necessity more clearly and will seek more earnestly; and that you will prize the mercy all the more for its long tarrying.
Remember the parable of the persistent widow. She was relentless. She wouldn't give up, and the unrighteousness judge eventually gave in, not because he was a good person, but because she persisted.
Luke 18:5
yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’”
Often we want God to bless us. But if we are not desperate enough to seek God with all our hearts, then do we actually need it that much? Delay makes us either give up, or press in... How will you respond?
4. GOD MAKES YOU WAIT BECAUSE IT ALLOWS SOMETHING IN YOU TO BE REMOVED... SELF
There may also be something in you that needs to be removed before the joy of the Lord is given.
We might be capable of making it happen, and then we rely on ourselves not God. One of the hardest things is asking God and waiting, not trying to make something happen under our own steam.
This is so important, God gives many examples of what not to do. Saul, for example, who lost the kingdom because he got impatient and took action himself instead of trusting God...
1 Samuel 13:8-9
He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him.
So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering.
Yet Paul says this...
2 Corinthians 3:5
Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God,
Perhaps you may be placing some little reliance on yourself instead of trusting entirely to the Lord Jesus.
Taking matters into our own hands means taking them out of God's hands.
Psalms 127:1
Psalm 127
Unless the Lord Builds the House
A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
A little boy and his father visited the country store. Upon leaving the store the owner of the store offered the little boy some free candy. “Get a handful of candy”, the merchant said to the boy. The boy just stood there looking up at his father. The owner repeated himself, “Son, get a handful of candy; it’s free.” Again the boy did not move, continuing to look up in the face of his father. Finally, the father reached into the candy jar and got a handful of candy and gave it to his son. As they walked back home, the father stopped and asked his son why he did not grab a handful of the free candy. The boy, with a big smile on his face, looked into the face of his father and said, “Because I know that your hand is bigger than mine.”
5. GOD MAKES YOU WAIT BECAUSE HE IS ARRANGING THINGS
Corrie Ten Boom popularised this poem...
My Life is but a weaving
between my Lord and me;
I cannot choose the colors
He worketh steadily.
Oft times He weaveth sorrow
And I, in foolish pride,
Forget He sees the upper,
And I the under side.
Not til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly,
Shall God unroll the canvas
And explain the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful
In the Weaver’s skillful hand,
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.
He knows, He loves, He cares,
Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives His very best to those
Who leave the choice with Him.
You cannot see the big picture, only your little bit. God sees all, controls all and is arranging all things to bring it about perfectly. He has a perfect timing.
Colossians 1:16-17
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
In God all things hold together... Everything, including whatever it is you are waiting for. He is behind the scenes orchestrating it all, allowing you to wait for His perfect timing.
If you kick a football down the field in a game, they will tell you that's a waste. But if a star player runs onto it from an onside position, you are a genius! What's the difference? Timing.
If I buy a house or some shares, and the economy collapses, I'm a failure. If I buy a house or shares and there's a sudden boom, I'm a genius. What's the differences? Timing.
If you bake a cake and you take it out of the oven too early it's gooey in the centre, too late and its burnt on the edges. What's the way to cook a perfect cake? Timing.
Joseph waited 13 years
Abraham waited 25 years
Moses waited 40 years
Jesus waited 30 years
If God is making you wait
You're in good company
So what is it you are waiting for, and how patiently and trustingly are you waiting? If you face major needs today, if you're sick and tired of waiting for God, maybe for healing, maybe for finances, maybe for a change of situation. Perhaps you're waiting for a partner in life, or for someone you love to get saved.
If this is you, and if you are weary of waiting or if your trust in your Father is dwindling, then we need to pray with you. Come forward and let's pray and believe for His perfect timing, and your perfect trust and attitude while you wait!
Next week we will continue this series and I will show you exactly how to wait the right way for God's provision and blessing. But you'll have to wait until next Sunday for that...
Monday Feb 15, 2016
Monday Feb 15, 2016
True
Love is talked about, but rarely seen in our modern world. "Be My
Valentine," says God, but what does this mean for us on this Valentine's
Day 2016?
I love you
Arabic - Ana behibek (to female)
Mandarin - Wo ai ni
Filipino - Mahal kita
Farsi - Doset daram
German - Ich liebe dich
Hindi - Hum Tumhe Pyar Karte hae
Italian - Ti amo
Malay - Saya cinta kepada mu
Russian - Ya tebya liubliu
Spanish - Te quiero / Te amo
French - Je T'Aime
Elvish - Amin mela lle (from The Lord of The Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien)
However you say it, every language has words for it, and every person on earth needs to hear those words. But what is Valentine’s Day all about?
A BIT OF VALENTINE HISTORY...
Claudius was an emperor with a problem... He wanted a huge army, but His men did not want to fight or go to war, they wanted to stay home with their wives and girlfriends. The year was 250AD.
So, as emperors or dictators do, he made a law... That no more marriages were allowed. That way the men would be free of encumbrances and free to fight. The young people called it cruel, and a priest called Valentine thought it ridiculous!
So Valentine defied the emperor by conducting marriage ceremonies in secret, whispering the words of commitment at great risk to himself and the couple he was marrying. One day the soldiers arrived, and Valentine let the couple escape, but he was caught, jailed and condemned to death for defying the emperor.
Many young couples threw flowers into Valentine's cell, and some like the jailer's daughter managed to visit him, sitting for hours talking about love and the marriage commitment. She believed that defying the emperor and conducting marriage ceremonies was important.
On the day he was executed, he left her a note thanking her for her friendship, and he signed off, "Love from your Valentine."
So the tradition of exchanging notes began, and from that first execution day of 14th February 269AD, the date has been remembered as the day when, love proved it will triumph over a cruel and overbearing emperor.
AN ILLUSTRATION OF TRUE LOVE
Valentine's Day has degraded from remembering Saint Valentine's selfless love to a cheap, tacky money grabbing exercise to squeeze flowers and chocolates out of couples, or give lonely stalkers he opportunity to voice unrequited love.
In all the commercialism, we've lost sight of what love really is. As Foreigner sang, "I want to know what love is," and don't we all!
On January 26th, 2005 a California train derailed, killing 11 people and injuring over 200. One of those 200 was a 44 year old man named John Phipps.
Phipps though pinned in the wreckage of the train, scrawled a message in his own blood to his wife and kids. As he regained consciousness, he examined his head and body and saw he was bleeding profusely. An upended train seat sat right above him, and thinking he might be dying, wrote this message: "I (heart symbol) my kids. I (heart symbol) Leslie." Later he said, "It wasn't a conscious thought. I've always told my wife and kids I loved them, and it just happened. I didn't plan it. I didn't say I have to leave a last word. I just wrote it without thinking."
His rescuers came on the scene minutes later and saw the message. Fire Captain Robert Rosario said, "I've seen some gruesome things on this job, but that moved me. My only thought was, I have to get that seat to his wife and kids." His wife said about the message, "Hallmark is never going to top that. It's moving, it's thoughtful and it's chilling all at the same time."
John Phipps wrote his message of true love in his own blood, and 2000 years ago Jesus Christ did the same thing. On a day when we celebrate human love, I want to concentrate on the ultimate act of divine love, written in His own blood, the Saviour pouring out His life for you!
So what is true love?
1. TRUE LOVE IS BUILT ON PROMISE
In the US, a divorce is granted every 26 seconds, and we are not much better here. Slightly more than half of all marriages, and nearly 60% of all remarriages end in divorce. Divorces are granted for all kinds of reasons, but the most common rationalization for why marriages end is, “We just don’t love each other as we once did.” As a society, we have come to believe that when the romantic feelings of love have cooled, the relationship is no longer valid.
Please understand, this is not an attack on divorcees, and if you are separated or divorced, God loves you, no matter the circumstances. Like the rest of us, you too are loved, forgiven and have a destiny in Christ, but I want to examine this complex interplay between feelings and true love.
What we need to understand is that relationships should be built upon a promise, not a passion. Should the passion die, relationships can continue because of the promise. In other words: it’s not your love that sustains your commitment, it’s your commitment that sustains your love.
God doesn't just love you. The Bible says God is love... More than chocolate, more than flowers, more than that gooey feeling inside you, God actually is love.
1 John 4:16
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
God's love for you is a promise. He will not wake up tomorrow and change His mind.
Titus 1:2
in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began.
2. TRUE LOVE IS COMMANDED
Rick Warren says, Love is more than attraction and more than arousal. It’s also more than sentimentality, like so many of today’s songs suggest. By this standard, is love dead when the emotion is gone? No — not at all — because love is an action, and a behavior.
Over and over again in the Bible, God commands us to love each other, and you can’t command an emotion.
John 13:34
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
If I told you right now, “Be sad!” you couldn’t be sad on cue. You might be able to fake it, like a good actor should, but nobody is wired for real emotions to change on command.
If love were just an emotion, then God couldn’t command it. If He tried, you would say, "But I don't feel like it, Lord!"
But love is something you do. It's an action! It can produce emotion, but love itself is an action. It's a decision. It's an act of the will
So if your marriage is struggling, don't try and conjure up a feeling, instead make a decision. We made a vow, before God and man, and we don't break those vows. Many times when we make the decision to love, the feelings come along after a time.
If your relationship with your kids is struggling, remember you vowed to protect them and bring them up in the Lord. It's your sacred duty, regardless of how you feel.
3. TRUE LOVE IS DEMONSTRATED
And John doesn't mince word when it comes to true love... He says, don't just talk about it, do it... demonstrate it!
1 John 3:18
Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
It is more than mere words. I can say to my wife, "I love you," but then ignore her, abuse her or overlook her and what she needs. That's not love, folks, that's just useless words (and guys can be very good at that), and we should be offering more than that to those we love, right?
As a young lad, I realised I had a bit of a skill writing and singing songs. I also recognised that these songs could have a desired affect on a young woman. So for a time I had a standard sing where I just changed the name of the girl. Did it work?... Yes. Was it real? Not a chance!
So what type of love are you demonstrating, to your partner, your kids, your family, your friends? Are you all talk and no action? Here's the standard we are to keep up...
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
Yesterday in my Quiet Time I read this from Charles Stanley...
How you love others reflects the love you have for Jesus. Be patient in love, willing to receive little or no thanks for something you have done in love for another, and quick to forgive. Remember, no act of love, including forgiveness, is ever wasted.
4. TRUE LOVE IS REDEEMING
Isaiah 44:22
I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud
and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.
True love buys you back, no matter what you have done in the past. It pays whatever price is needed, does whatever is required, to win their soul. It isn't stingy with time, money or care... It just pays, and that's it!
"Ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no valley low enough, ain't no river wide enough, to keep me from getting to you!"
Look at Hosea. He married a girl, loved her, cared for her, and she started having sex with other guys all over the place. Then she slipped from adultery to prostitution, and became a sex slave. Then, under God's instructions, Hosea bought her back
Hosea 3:2-3
So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. Then I told her, “You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same way toward you.”
He'd been hurt, shamed publicly, let down, destroyed by this woman he loved, but his love was such that he bought her back. He did it because God asked him... This was not Pretty Woman!
As has Jesus with us. We've hurt Him, shamed Him, let Him down, but He loves us with selfless love, so much that He bought us back!
5. TRUE LOVE IS SELFLESS GIVING
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
So often people think love is what they can get. Men and women trawl bars and the Internet looking for someone to "make love" to for a night, and this is not love at all... It's lust! It's me wanting to satisfy my urges by using you. How is that anything like true love?
And the guy pressures the girl into doing it, and the girl thinks if I give him what he wants he'll love me, and the end is a disaster.
True love is selfless, forgiving, preferring one another love.
Jesus said...
John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.
Would you lay your life down for those you love? Jesus says this is greater love. Let me ask another question...
Do you say you love Jesus? Would you lay your life down for Him, would you crucify your life, your wants, your dreams, your career and even your family for Christ?
You might say, "Sure, I'd lay down my life for Christ and for those I love." I know I would. But, and here's the catch, you most often will not be asked to die for Christ or your loved ones, but you will be asked daily to lay your life down for them.
You see, sometimes it's easier to die for those you love than it is to live for them.
This is what Jesus meant when He stated,
Matthew 10:37-38
“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
True love is selfless love, never selfish. True love doesn't say, "What can I get out of this relationship" but "What can I give to this relationship?" Christian marriages work, or at least should work, because when we lay our lives down for Christ we do so for each other.
Even in church, we must lay our lives down and serve each other, not our own interests and opinions. Beware of the so called Christian who obstinately forces their will and opinion on others. You'll spot them... They'll be harsh, aggressive and rarely will back down and be humble.
6. TRUE LOVE ENDURES
Love that is true stands the test of time, however hard the road is. I am still in love with my Valentine after 30 years, 3 kids, losing our fortune, our house and sometimes our minds. We've worked too hard, hurt too hard and suffered too much in those years, yet through it all we've pulled together, not apart.
My love for God is unshakable, as is my love for my wife and family. Even better, God's love for me is unshakable and eternal. And His love for you is the same. He will never leave you, never forsake you.
True love endures, it lasts for eternity!
You are His Valentine, and He won't let you go. And nothing, in this world, under it or above it, nothing will ever change His love for you. You can walk away, and He will love you. You can reject Him, and He will still love you, even if His heart breaks as you get what you deserve for your rebellion!
Romans 8:38-39
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Nothing will separate you from God's love, unless you choose to walk away... Nothing! That's how eternal His love is you you.
Whether you are single or in a relationship, God's love for you is all of what we've talked about today and more. It never ends, it never breaks, it always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres.
God's love never fails! And today you are His Valentine. You are the love of His life, you are the apple of His eye.
Today, whether you are in a relationship or not, we have arranged a very special Valentine's Day gift for you...
Monday Feb 08, 2016
Monday Feb 08, 2016
Acts 2:42-47
And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,
praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Last week in the Philippines I was marvelling at how they live. They are poorer than us, less comforts, less money, less food, no big screen TVs. But they have something we simply don't have in Australia... A true sense of community.
They live, eat, sleep, learn and worship in community. They share everything, from thongs and food to possessions or even children. And guess what... They are much happier on the whole than we are!
We sit alone in front of TVs, surf the Internet alone, drive alone in our cars, we rarely even car pool. Aussies crave community, but we live alone and for ourselves or at best our immediate family.
The Bible says we are put together, joined together, built together, members together, heirs together, fitted together, held together, and we will be caught up together and spend eternity together. And eternity is a long day time to spend with people you don't like, so learn to love people now! You’re not on your own anymore. You're community, you're family!
The early church understood this, they did things together and their lives were intertwined and connected with each other.
THE COMMUNITY OF TREES
The largest living things on the planet are Californian redwood trees. Some of them are 300 feet high and more than 2,500 years old. You would think that trees that large would have a tremendous root system, reaching down hundreds of feet into the earth. But that is not the case. Redwoods have a very shallow root system. The roots of these trees are, however, intertwined. They are tied in with each other; interlocked. Thus, when the storms come and the winds blow the redwoods still stand.
As we intertwine ourselves, we form community and become stronger.
So many Christians today love God but hate church, and I get it because I've been there. I personally have suffered abuse at the hands of pastors and leaders, and that's why going ahead I am absolutely committed to not abusing you. As your pastor I want community and fellowship, I don't want servants or slaves!
The Greek word for fellowship comes from a root meaning common or shared. So fellowship means common participation in something either by giving what you have to the other person or receiving what he or she has. Give and take is the essence of fellowship, and give and take must be the way of fellowship in the common life of the body of Christ.
So getting back to our text, the first church devoted themselves to 4 things... Teaching, fellowship, communion and other meals together and prayer. Today, on our launch Sunday, I want to look at fellowship, at community...
THE DEATH OF THE LONE RANGER
Hi Ho Silver, away!
Author Randy Frazee says, "Scripture leads one to conclude that God intends the church, not to be one more bolt on the wheel of activity in our lives, but the very hub at the center of one’s life…..”
Yet in the church today we have loads of Lone Rangers, people who love God but refuse to lock into a church community for a variety of reasons and/or problems, with the church or with themselves.
But God designed the church, and Christ loved and prayed for the church in John 17. Why? Because He knows the value of people living in fellowship. He does not want Lone Rangers Christians, so before you say, "Hi Ho Silver, away!" Stop and ask God what He wants for your life!
The church or a local community of believers is essential to our spiritual well-being. In the New Testament there are no “Lone Ranger” Christians. Believers needed each other and God expected them to be there for each other.
Likewise, we need each other and God expects us to be there for each other. God has ordained that we play a vital part in each other’s faith.
God in fact commands us to be in fellowship, to be in community and to be a part of a church...
Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
He tells us that in unity He commands a blessing (Psalm 133).
Yet so many are so hurt or so discouraged they won't go to church. They might attend occasionally but never fully engage, they might visit a big church but feel overlooked and lonely in a crowd.
You can have 500 Facebook friends and be the loneliest guy on earth!
I'll be honest, I'm not about to tell you that I have it all together, or that Coast Church has all the answers. We are a family, warts and all, and we have prickly, reactive, selfish and distant people, like anybody else. We are not superior, but maybe it is our weakness and God's greatness that can make the difference in our community.
Or as Henri Nouwen points out, “We are unified by our common weaknesses, our common failures, our common disappointments and our common inconsistencies.”
So what is the big deal about community, and how do we achieve it?
1. COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS BUILDS STRENGTH
We all face trials, troubles and tragedies in life. That's life, isn't it?
Yet we do not have to face them all alone. God intends that we be supported, strengthened, encouraged and empowered through the community of believers. As we face the storms and temptations of life we should receive strength from each other. That's God’s plan.
It works for trees, and it works for people.
If you are facing trials, tests of faith, heartaches or loneliness, you cannot afford to stand alone or try to make it on your own.
If you feel God is distant, and we all do at times, then without fellowship you will fall away in your faith. In fact, many who are struggling with sin pull away from fellowship, and more the isolate themselves the more they get entangled in their sinful ways. When someone mysteriously falls away from fellowship for no apparent reason, frequently sin or discouragement are at the heart of it.
During the times when we are overwhelmed by trials, heartaches and the burdens of life we, too, need God's people to strengthen and encouraged us. When we wonder if God really does love us and care for us we need God’s people. God, in His providence, has chosen to come to us through His people.
Through our fellow believers we can sense and know God’s love and care. When we are loved and cared for by another believer, especially during painful times, we gain a new sense of God’s love at work through them for us.
Author Gary Burge says “When God ‘s love feels distant or non-existent, the body of Christ’s love is real and tangible….”
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
Sadi Sundar Singh the great Christian Indian teacher related a true story of traveling in Tibet when a snow storm hit him and his Tibetan guide.
"Suddenly, we stumbled upon a man who had slipped from the path and was lying in the snow. Looking more closely, I discovered that the man was still alive, though barely. 'Come,' I said to my companion, 'help me try to bring this unfortunate man to safety.' But my companion was upset and frightened for his life. He answered: 'If we try to carry that man, none of us will ever reach the village. We will all freeze. Our only hope is to go on as quickly as possible, and that is what I intend to do. You will come with me if you value your life.' Without another word and without looking back, he set off down the path.
"I could not bring myself to abandon the helpless traveler while life remained in him, so I lifted him on my back and threw my blanket around us both as best I could. Slowly and painstakingly, I picked my way along the steep, slippery path with my heavy load. Soon it began to snow, and I could make out the way forward only with great difficulty.
"How we made it, I do not know. But just as daylight was beginning to fade, the snow cleared and I could see houses a few hundred yards ahead. Near me, on the ground, I saw the frozen body of my guide...he had succumbed to the cold and died, while the unfortunate traveler and I made it to safety. The exertion of carrying him and the contact of our bodies had created enough heat to save us both. This is the way of service. No one can live without the help of others, and in helping others, we receive help ourselves."
When the storms of life hit, we need to be standing close to other Christians. We need each other; we can’t stand alone, and the closer we stand, the better we will hold up.
2. COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS BUILDS MINISTRY
The community of faith is crucial to our spiritual well-being because it is the place where we find special opportunities to minister or serve. “Those in the community of faith do not merely absorb Christ’s love individually, their changed lives also reflect his love corporately.”
We all have a God-given responsibility to reach out and minister to each other. Love acts; it serves God and others.
Acts 2:44 says, All the believers were together and had everything in common.
Their ministry to each other included sharing of material goods to meet temporal needs.
They didn't grasp material possessions, they shared them, especially when times were tough.
This is still God’s plan for meeting the needs of His hurting children. If we are not ministering to one another through a community of faith like Coast Church, then many needs go unmet and many reach the erroneous conclusion that God doesn’t care about them.
And where else provides as good a vehicle to pursue your ministry, whatever that may be. As your pastor, I am committed to encouraging your ministry and giving you opportunities to minister to others, here, in the Philippines or wherever you feel led. Talk to me, because God has called me to help make your ministry dreams come true!
Galatians 6:9-10
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
If you want to be used of God to touch and impact people's lives, Coast Church is a great vehicle for you, whatever your dream for your ministry.
As a young music ministry, I wanted to grow and sing all over the world. I was told that fastest way to do this was not to promote yourself, but to serve a man of God. I chose to serve evangelist Bill Newman, and forsook my own ministry ambitions. I went from doing a whole concert before 50-100 people, to singing 4 songs before tens of thousands in some far flung exotic location. My dream came true when I decided to serve another ministry. And so it is with your ministry here.
So I am challenging all of you to get involved in Coast Church. Attend a Connect Group, help and support leaders, bake a meal for someone, give someone a lift. Look for opportunities to minister, and don't give up, for you will reap a reward before you know it!
My job is to make your ministry dreams come true, because I take seriously God's challenge for me to train and equip the saints.
Ephesians 4:11-12
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
If you want a vehicle for your dreams, come and serve here at Coast Church. Don't demand, don't self promote, don't try and manipulate me, just serve and watch God build your ministry.
Psalms 127:1
Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.
3. COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS BRINGS GUIDANCE
The community of faith is crucial to our well-being because it is the source of much needed guidance, direction and even correction.
As someone has aptly said, “we need the community of believers because none of us is as smart as all of us!”
Ephesians 3:10
so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known...
God wants to guide us but he has chosen to do it through His people in the community of faith.
As we grow in the word and prayer together, He will guide and lead us, and use others to speak into our lives and situations.
As we share our lives together God counsels us with advice that improves our relationships with Him, spouses, children and those around us. He guides us regarding proper priorities, values, morals and ethics.
Through our interactions with each other and His Word He helps us make right choices and good decisions.
Stand alone, and you face making decisions in your own wisdom. Today, when right is wrong and wrong is right a lot of times, God uses the church to guide us away from sinful paths. So many ways of the world look so enticing and they are so acceptable.
Hebrews 3:13
But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
A community give you accountability, wisdom, experience and encouragement. A community can save you from the schemes of the devil, the temptations of the flesh and the stupidity of your own stupid mistakes.
It is a fact: we all need the community of faith more than we often realise.
4. COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS BRINGS DIFFICULTIES
I was talking to a well know pastor this week who quipped, "Church would be a lot easier without people!" A joke of course, because the church is people. I won't sugar coat this...
Being in the community of faith is not without its difficulties and frustrations. Know why? Because it is made up of sinners. Hurt people hurt people... But the mark of community - true biblical community - is not the absence of conflict and difficulties but the presence of a reconciling, graceful spirit.
Every community has porcupine Christians... They've got a lot of good points, but you can't get near them. In our humanness we all do things to rub others the wrong way and we all offend or get offended at some point. We all, at times, will be hurt and we will hurt others. Our old sinful nature often causes problems.
Nevertheless, we must not back away from being part of the fellowship of faith.
So many leave or threaten to leave at the first sign of conflict, and if you do that you'll never find a church family. Don't try and find the perfect church... If you do, don't join it because you'll mess it up.
GET COMMITTED TO COMMUNITY
We must make an unwavering commitment to a community of believers where we can be strengthened, find places of ministry and receive much needed guidance. We must do this regardless of what others say, do, don't do, imply, insinuate or blow up about!
The benefits of a great church far outweigh the costs. People who believe in you, stand with you, love you, support you... People who actually like you.
But fellowship doesn't just happen... You need to make an effort and get involved. We have great connect groups, see the sign up sheets at the back, and we have our courses starting next Sunday. We have hours of fellowship over coffee this morning.
Church, If we want to grow taller and wider and stronger then our roots need to go deep down into God, we have to desire Him and to know Him more. But our roots also need to spread out and connect with the roots of others like those redwoods, they achieve what no other tree can because they stand together. Let’s put roots down as we grow in God and let’s spread those roots out wide as we grow with each other into a community, into a family.
Today, rather than asking you forward for prayer, I'm going to ask you to pray for someone next to you.
Ephesians 2:19
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
Monday Jan 18, 2016
Monday Jan 18, 2016
All of us are on a journey in life, but most of us don't really know where we are going. Like the blind leading the blind, we collectively stumble through life, with no idea of where we are going except the vague idea that we want to be happy.
But God knows where we should be headed... He says
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
But what is this journey about, where are we headed, and where are we up to right now?
I was listening to a US Navy pilot called JT DeBolt talk about planning a flight. When pilots fly, they need to know 2 things... Where they are going, and their current position. In life, we need to know these 2 things also.
So let's take a look at the road to royalty, where you've been, where you are destined to be, and ask yourself where you are right now!
1. SINNER
We all started here, as sinners. The Bible clearly states that,
Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Being a sinner is our default setting. You don't have to teach a child to be bad, do you. They seems to have a natural capacity to be selfish and sinful, but your job as a parent is to train them to be good.
Some of us, I hope most of us, want to move on from being a sinner.
Some, sadly, are content to live in this part of the journey, because their love of their sin is greater than their love for God. That's the only reason you would choose to stay there, right?
1 John 2:15-16
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
Jesus came and paid the price for your sin, so you don't have to live in sin. Now we will always struggle with sin this side of Heaven, but there's a difference between struggling with sin and living in it.
So why would anyone want to live in sin? Because it is attractive, yet it is also deceptive.
Hebrews 11:24-25
By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.
Sin is pleasurable, otherwise the devil couldn't sell it! Of course there is pleasure in sin, but as that verse says, the pleasure is fleeting. That word in the Greek means temporal or transient, and while you might think sin feels good, have a look at the lasting effects of it.
Living with sin ultimately causes misery. This is contrary to what the world will tell you. Try our drugs, they will make you feel good... Have you seen a long term meth head? Go out and have sex with lots of people. That's exciting, pleasurable, but then you get children conceived, diseases you don't want and finish on welfare or paying child support. Go out and run a crooked business, loads of cash comes your way until the ATO auditor shows up.
If you are someone grappling with sin, I want to give you a key, then a solution...
The key: Before you sin, STOP, STEP BACK AND IMAGINE THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR ACTIONS IN THE LONG TERM
For example, having an affair. Feels good and exciting short term, but long term you live in fear of being found out, lose your partner's respect, your children's respect, often your marriage, your home, many of your friends, your ministry and half of your income. Is it worth it?
The solution:
Coming to Christ is a fresh start. Billy Graham said, "How many times in your life have you wished you could start all over again with a clean slate, with a new life? Resolve right now to allow God to wipe your slate clean by confessing your sins and letting Him give you a brand-new start."
So are we believers better than others? No, the Gospel is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find food.
But I have proved it time and again, being a sinner is not a place you will want to stay. Because when you are there, you are a ...
2. SLAVE
Slavery is defined as "the condition in which one person is owned as property by another, and is under the owner's control."
Slavery is a horrible crime, and you might think is was not around today, but you'd be wrong! According to latest figures, over 35 million people live in slavery, including things like forced labour and prostitution. Slavery demeans individuals, robs them of their freedom and self worth and exploits them.
Slaves have no rights, no chance to appeal or argue and no freedom. They don't control what they do, someone else does.
The Bible says every one of us is a slave. So what or who are you a slave to?
Jesus said...
John 8:34
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.
Bob Dylan once sand, "You've got to serve somebody." He was right, either sin or God, but you must serve somebody.
Paul has a long discussion about slavery in Romans 6
Romans 6:16
Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?
In the Message Bible,
Romans 6:16
You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it's your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits. All your lives you've let sin tell you what to do.
People say they want to be free to live their lives to way they want, but these very people are slaves to something. So many are slaves to sin and they don't even know it! Maybe they're enslaved by chasing money, maybe by a relationship. Perhaps a substance is their master.
People say they don't want to come to Jesus because they don't want to give up their freedom... What a joke! There are rules in Christianity, sure, but these rules set you free.
How can that be? Let's consider road rules. You might say you want complete freedom, but when you get on the road, you can't just choose a side to drive on. You have to follow the traffic rules, and it's these rules that allow you freedom and safety as you travel.
What is it that controls your life? If you cannot truthfully answer "Jesus" then you have the wrong master... Welcome to the misery or slavery!
If you're sick of being a slave to a master who is out to destroy you, the. You need to move onto the next stage... Becoming a saint
3. SAINT
Warren Wiersbe says that no word is more misunderstood than the word "Saint". The dictionary defines it a 'person officially recognized for holiness of life.' Ancient Greeks used the term for Holy Men.
Paul, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, lifted the Greek word "hagios" to a new level of meaning: "to set apart or be separate." The same word is also translated holy and sanctification.
While the Catholic Church says a saint is dead, God says a saint is alive. Being a saint is not a matter of achievement or performance; it is a matter of position. It's not based on what we have done, but who we are in Christ. It's not dependent upon our works, but upon His grace.
We can probably safely assume that saint was Paul's favorite term for the Christian since he used it some forty-two times in his epistles.
Ephesians 4:11-12
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
Folks, you and I are the saints. It's our position, not a reward for a pious life.
So if you are sick of being a slave to sin, if your life is heading nowhere and you are controlled by forces outside of yourself, if you want to be truly free...
Become a saint. In fact, become a saint right now by asking Jesus Christ into your life. The greatest decision you could ever make is to decide you want to be set free from the control of sin. You can move from being a slave to sin that is out to destroy your life, to being a slave to master who loves you, paid the price for your sin and wants to prosper rather than harm you.
It's your choice...what'll it be?
4. SERVANT
When you ask the Lord into your life, you become a servant of Him. Servants serve. As Jesus said,
Matthew 20:26
But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,
When I last shared this, a certain gentleman challenged me, saying I was wrong and we should fight for our rights. I absolutely disagree! We should not fight for our rights, we should not fight for our reputations, we should not fight for our opinions. We should leave these things in the hands of God and be gracious and loving towards each other, serving God with humility and faithful obedience. Our actions should reflect a humble servant heart, not a fighter prepared to attack and hurt others to preserve their perceived rights and privileges.
This person said What about human rights, what about women's rights?
So let me make this clear. When Christ becomes your master, you choose to give up your rights and only have one right, which is to serve. The moment you elevate any right above that of serving Jesus, you compromise your relationship with Him. Any right, no matter how good, should be subject to Christ.
But the Bible says,
Proverbs 31:8
Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute.
This doesn't mean fight for your rights, it means speak for the rights of others! Being a servant does not mean you don't acknowledge the rights of others, but you voluntarily give up your rights, you give up grasping for the things you think you deserve.
So foregoing your rights and obeying God is what a true servant does. God loves obedience, and here's the thing... When you seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, all these things are added to you (Matthew 6:33).
Servants don't argue back, they don't question what their master wants, they just serve. They serve their master, and they serve others as directed by their master. They are faithful. They are obedient. They are servants, without their own rights and agendas.
The Bible says what...
John 13:35
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Does it says everyone will know you are his disciples if you fight hard for your rights and reputation? If you argue well? If you write aggressive letters? No, the world knows we are His when we crucify our rights and serve Him, and He commands us to love each other!
And what about what Jesus said in Mark 8:34
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Deny yourself? Does that include your opinions, reputation, perceived rights? Yes it does. Deny yourself daily, take up your cross and serve!
TOZER says about self, "To allow this enemy to live is, in the end, to lose everything. To repudiate it and give up all for Christ’s sake is to lose nothing at last, but to preserve everything unto life eternal."
So vow today before God to give up self and become a true servant.
But here's the thing... You don't just stay a servant. When you forsake fighting for your own selfish interests, suddenly God Himself moves you on beyond mere servanthood...
John 15:15
No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
If you receive Christ, if you forsake being a slave to sin and instead become a faithful servant, then Jesus invite you into the inner sanctum... You become His friend.
But wait there's more... He doesn't stop there. You're a servant, you're a friend but here's the most amazing news... You're adopted into His holy family as a son or daughter!
5. SON OR DAUGHTER
If you are a son or daughter of the King, what does that make you? A prince, or a princess.
Romans 8:15-17
For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ,
So when we decide we've had enough of being slaves to sin, we receive Christ and we are elevated from being servants to being friends, but then ultimately to being sons. We go from rags to royalty!
The Bible says we are actually adopted in. The Greek word is huiothesia literally means "son-placing." In their culture a child possessed nothing and had no rights, but during the teenage years there was a public ceremony declaring a child to be an official member of the family. After this " son-placing," he had full privileges and responsibilities.
It was not a change of relationship with the father, it was a change of position. The child became a son, with full rights and honours.
This usually happened to a birth child, but it could happen also to a child born of another.
We didn't start off as God's children, but He adopted us. Romans understood this, because Octavian was the grandnephew of Julius Caesar, adopted as a son and eventually becoming Augustus Caesar, the ruler at the time of Christ.
An adopted person was in a true sense "a new person," legally and practically. He had all the rights of a son by birth and even any old debts were cancelled.
And we, you and I, if we have asked Jesus into our hearts, have been adopted by the King of Kings! Why don't we live like royalty? Why do we maintain a pauper's view of life?
Royalty has confidence. Not in themselves and their ability, but in their Dad. They walk into the room confident of their position. So should we. We should walk in confided knowing our Father holds the keys to our future. He owns all the resources.
Royalty has power over things around it. They know their power and command it. We don't live like royalty because we don't understand it.
Royalty is riches beyond measure. The Queen has a personal fortune of $500 million US, earns a mere $13 million a year and lives in a house worth $5 Billion. Our Father has way more than that, so we can trust Him with our finances, our reputation, our relationships and our provision.
In West Texas during the Depression, Mr. Ira Yates was like many other ranchers and farmers. He had a lot of land, and a ton of debt. Mr. Yates wasn’t able to make enough on his ranching operation to pay his loans, and he was in danger of losing his ranch. He had little money for clothes or food, his family (like many others) had to live on a government subsidy.
Day after day, as he grazed his sheep over those rolling West Texas hills, he was no doubt greatly troubled about how he would pay his bills.
Then a seismographic crew from an oil company came into the area and told him there might be oil on his land. They asked permission to drill a wildcat well, and he signed a lease contract.
At 1,115 feet they struck a huge oil reserve. The first well came in at 80,000 barrels a day. Many subsequent wells were more than twice as large.
In fact, 30 years after the discovery, a government test of one of the wells showed it still had the potential flow of 125,000 barrels of oil a day. And Mr. Yates owned it all. The day he purchased the land he had received the oil and mineral rights.
Yet, he’d been living on government relief. A multimillionaire living in poverty. The problem? He didn’t know the oil was there even though he owned it.
And that is our position as royalty. If we truly are servants, we become royalty. We're sitting on a fortune, and all we need to do is understand our position and live like it! Let me finish with these verses...
Matthew 6:31-33
So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
If you don't know Jesus as Lord and Saviour you're missing out on the riches of royalty. Don't concentrate on what you supposedly have to give up for Him. I don't give up my garbage, I throw it away. Don't live in rags today, come to Jesus.
If you have asked Him into your life, are you living as a servant? Are you living as royalty? Some of you here don't think you are worth anything. Some are face challenges this year, and you feel inadequate. Listen... It's not about you, it's never been about you... It is about The King of Kings, so you need to start believing you are royalty, thinking like royalty and acting like royalty.
Monday Jan 11, 2016
Monday Jan 11, 2016
Over these holidays, it's pretty tempting to start into those odd jobs around the house. Some of you will be like me... You want to be a weekend warrior, but don't know one end of a hammer from the other. Some of you will be like Rod and Erica, or Fraser, and be able to do it yourself.
Who doesn't like Bunnings?
Fiona and I were in there the other day... So many projects I could attempts, but sadly, Fiona would rather hire a professional, such is my innate abilities to work with my hands.
But I admit it. I often line up with Abraham at the Do-It-Yourself Depot of life. Let's look at Genesis 15 first...
1. GOD'S PROMISE
Genesis 15:4-6
And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”
And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
Abraham had a promise from God. He had a dream burning in his heart. How many of you have a dream in your heart for ministry? How many of you have been given a promise from the Lord? You know it, you're sure of it, and your ready and willing to work at it!
Intellectually we know we can trust God. Has He ever let you down in the past? How often has He come through for you? We know God is faithful with His promises...
2 Corinthians 1:20a
For all the promises of God find their Yes in him.
Practically though, it is often a different story. We might mentally assent to God's promise, but we then take matters into our own hands, often with disastrous results!
This is not only the case with Abraham.
Trouble is, he had to wait, and we don't like waiting. His initial response of faith was credited to him as righteousness, but after 10 years, his patience was wearing thin.
2. MAN'S PRESCRIPTION
Man's prescription is to work harder and find the solution yourself.
Contrary counsel will always come after God speaks... We must recognise it and resist it!
Human reasoning and counsel from others might appear reasonable, but they must never supersede God’s clear instruction. Don't forsake God's promise for someone else's opinion.
This is the Facebook verse in the Bible...
Proverbs 18:2
A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
but only in expressing his opinion.
Facebook is a classic for this. Anyone with an iPad and an opinion feels he needs to express it on the Internet in a way they would never do face to face.
The Internet makes epic failures into self proclaimed experts at times. Look at Facebook any time and you will find people married 5 times, with 12 kids to 11 different partners, living in a shanty beside the local methadone clinic offering relationship advice!
That's why Paul says, and this is vitally important to us today,
2 Corinthians 10:5
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
Don't listen to all the suggestions, concentrate on what the Lord promises!
3. MAN'S PRESUMPTION
So what does a normal man want to do? He wants to fix it, right?
Something's broke? Here, I'll fix that. Someone's hurting? I can solve that problem. Someone's mad? No worry, I'll talk to them. It seems at times I have an unflagging spirit to make right that which seems wrong.
This is why, ladies, when men are lost they don't ask for directions, they just go harder to try and find the solution themselves!
I'm always looking for a way. If I face an obstacle, I look for a way around it. So what do it do if God has given me a promise, and if He is taking His own sweet time?
Well, I'll help you out Lord! No, You're OK, you just sit back and have a nice glass of holy water and let me fix the situation for you!
Now I mentioned previously my amazing ability to screw up any handyman job around the house. But still, with this innate and uncanny ability to produce epic fails in the area of renovation, I still so,show want to try. It is idiots like me who make Bunnings a fortune!
So here's Abraham and Sarah's solution...
Genesis 16:2-4
And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.
So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife.
And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress.
Abraham is not the only example of this. What about when the 10 spies gave a bad report, and God told them they would wander the wilderness for 40 years. They said they repented, then came up with a solution...they went up to attack the people and take possession of the land Hid had promised them...
Numbers 14:44-45
But they presumed to go up to the heights of the hill country, although neither the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses departed out of the camp.
Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and defeated them and pursued them.
What about Lot moving to Sodom? Seemed logical at the time. What about David taking a census? We do that even today, and any business plan will support your taking stock of your resources, right?
It's all so logical! As human beings, our natural inclination is to try and solve it! To try and make it happen. It's my default position. It's what I do! I am a human doing, not just a human being!
Trouble is, if God gives you a promise, and you take matters into your own hands, God has a word for it. He doesn't call it being a self starter, He doesn't call it being proactive. He doesn't even call it hard working.
He calls it sin, and sin has cause and effect. It has both immediate and lasting consequences. And those who sin will live with the consequences, which sometimes can linger for generations.
In Abraham's case, it has lingered forever. His and Sarah's bright idea gave rise to Ishmael, the son by his maidservant Hagar, and the Ishmaelites are the descendants of the Arabs. The Arab Israeli conflict of today traces its roots back to Abraham's so called solution!
4. MAN'S PROPOSITION
Abraham and Sarah desperately wanted a "fix" for their childlessness, so the came up with the solution... Get the maidservant pregnant and then you'll have the son God promised you.
Trouble was, God would have none of it! Abraham asked God to bless Ishmael. But God would not abide by Abraham's solution. It was to be done God's way, just as He had promised... Abraham and Sarah would have a son.
Genesis 17:18-19
And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”
God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.
So when God gives you a dream, when He reveals a promise to you, the first inclination is to come up with a solution. Then we ask God to bless our solution. What an affront to a God who loves us and is arranging things behind the scenes to make His promises come true!
Proverbs 16:9
The heart of man plans his way,
but the Lord establishes his steps.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
If you have a dream, if you have tried to make it happen, maybe it it time to repent, hand control back to God, and stop leaning on your own understanding. Don't make excuses, and whatever you do, don't ask Him to bless what you've done by your own hand instead of waiting for and trusting in Him!
God is speaking to some of you right now, saying stop, wait and trust Me! Abraham tried to find a solution, made a mistake we are still suffering for, and yet God still restored the promise and made it happen!
5. GOD'S PROVISION
This is what He promised. This is yes and Amen! This is what you need to wait for, then step out and go for in His strength and provision.
Genesis 21:2-3
And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him.
Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac.
Despite Abraham's failure, despite his impatience, God made good on His promise in His time.
Abraham's do-it-yourself solution has repercussions even in our day.
There were still devastating consequences, there were still tests and trials ahead. But Abraham's failure did not negate God's promise. Abraham had God's promise, and he saw the miracle happen becoming the father of nations!
So what about you? What has God promised you? Are you attempting to fulfill that promise in your own energy and strength? Through your own schemes and strategies?
No matter how tempting a solution appears, always, always, always stop to ask God. Compare it with His Word, His character, His Spirit. Anything short of complete trust in God's instructions will ultimately lead to regrets. "If only" living is not living at all. "Do it yourself" living is rebellion to "trusting God" living.
Philippians 4:19
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
I read this by Billy Graham a few days ago...
"How many times have you heard someone say, “All I can do is pray”?
All I can do is pray?! You might as well say to a starving man, “All I can do is offer you food,” or to a sick person, “All I can do is give you medicine that will make you well,” or to a poor child, “All I can do is buy the toy you most want for your birthday.”
Praying unlocks the doors of heaven and releases the power of God. James 4:2 says, “Ye have not, because ye ask not.” And Jesus said, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matthew 21:22)."
Prayer is not found in the "do-it-yourself" section, and you can't buy it in Mitre 10. Prayer is how you say to God, "Not my will, but Yours be done." Prayer is you calling on the trady when you've had enough of trying to do things your way!
But it's not just about praying. It's not just about trying to up your faith level. Listen to this verse...
Psalms 9:10
And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
Faith is directly dependent on how much you know God. In the phrase “Those who know your name trust in you.” The word “name” means character, plus reputation. “And they that know what kind of God you are will put their trust in you.” We wonder why we don’t have faith; the answer is, faith is confidence in the character of God and if we don’t know what kind of God God is, we can’t have faith.
And so we struggle and wait and hope against hope. We try and make things happen ourselves. We try and make ourselves believe and have faith. But faith doesn’t come, because we do not know the character of God. “They that know what you are like will put their trust in You.” It’s automatic—it comes naturally when we know what kind of God God is.
That's why I am begging you to do my reading plan. It's simple, quick, regimented enough to keep you on track, and if you do it, I guarantee that after a few months you will know God more, and your faith in Him will skyrocket. You won't need to do-it-yourself any more... You will learn to trust Him and let God make your dreams happen!
Do you have dreams for 2016? Do you believe you have a God given dream, maybe one that you have been trying to fulfil in your own strength and strategies? Is God speaking to you this morning, saying it is time to trust in the Lord and not lean on your own understanding?
If you have a dream for 2016, as yet unfulfilled, why don't you respond to His call this morning? Why not let us stand with you and believe for God's promises to come true for you this year? Let our team pray with you...
Monday Jan 04, 2016
Monday Jan 04, 2016
Happy New Year, and welcome to what I believe will be a year of exceeding abundantly beyond what you can ask or think! So, it's 2016, and I'm sure many of you are wondering just what the New Year brings. Listen to this podcast and get inspired as you face not just another year, but a year of exceeding abundantly more than you can ask or imagine!
We live in a world that lacks hope, that is fearful going forward. But hey, I've read the book cover to cover and I know who wins! It's not the devil, and it's not sinful man, despite what you might think looking at the news!
As we face a new year, if you believe the media, there are terrorist threats everywhere, the economy is failing, militant Islam is gaining strength and gays are directing policies.
But I believe 2016 is shaping up to be the best year for many a year. Why?
Because God has given me His promise, and a text for the year...
Ephesians 3:20 (KJV)
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Ephesians 3:20 (ESV)
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,
Ephesians 3:20 (Message)
God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
The Greek word used here is hyperairomai; which means "the regions lying beyond your country of residence." In other words, it is super abundance, beyond anything you have seen or experienced before, almost like a foreign country... Exotic, new, fresh, exciting, beyond your comprehension.
2016 is going to be another land! You won't believe you're there! But not everyone will experience this. So how will you get to experience the best year ever in 2016.
How can we get there? How can we be assured we will travel there?
I am going to show you 5 ways to make 2016 the best year ever!
MAKE THE PAST PAST AT LAST
Isaiah 43:18-19
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
These verses are important... The Hebrew word for to dwell is "bin", which means to discern or concentrate on. It is saying that we must not focus in on the things of the past, good or bad.
So many Christians, even mature Christians, are influenced and even controlled by their pasts. Maybe it's your upbringing, maybe it's something someone said last month, or last year. Listen... You've got to let it go! Let the past be past at last.
Maybe you've had some successes, but you can't dwell in those either. It's easy to think back on previous success, but this is counterproductive if it limits your success in 2016.
GET CLOSER TO THE LORD
This is the key point, upon which the entire year of 2016 hangs for you... Get closer to God. If you determine right now to press into the Lord, to read His Word and pray, I guarantee you this year will become exceeding abundantly more than you can ask, think or imagine!
James 4:8
Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Get clean, get holy and get serious with God. The Greek for double minded literally means double souled, having your soul in 2 places, the world and the Kingdom. You cannot serve 2 masters,
Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Make that God and anyone, or anything!
So who do you choose this day? At the start of 2016, who do you choose?
Israel faced a similar choice as they entered the Promised land...
Deuteronomy 30:19
This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live
Choose life in 2016!
Remember James 1:8, Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
If you want to be stable, not blown around by every little circumstance, not tossed to and fro by each wind of adversity, not experiencing life as a roller coaster... Get into God. Trust me, it really works!
My Bible reading plan is a great place to start. Read the entire Bible, minus the dull bits, in one year reading only 2 chapters a day. Do this, friends, and you will experience God as never before.
Couple this with daily prayer, and you have the best year of your life at your fingertips. Life abundantly, exceeding abundantly.
So how do you do this every day?
- Get the Bible reading plan... It's free
- Set aside a time to do it. Try and make it the same time every day. Morning works best for me. What about you? I once committed to no Bible, no breakfast... Can you?
Psalms 143:8
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.
- Set aside a place to do it. Your favourite chair, a nice pleasant spot. I have our sunroom, or my favoured chair.
- Pray... Remember the acrostic...
Adoration
Confession
Thanksgiving
Supplication
- Read, study, underline
- Journal, takes notes. I use my iPad, I copy and paste.
HAVE A GRATITUDE ATTITUDE FOR EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANTLY LIVING
The best years of your life are not the ones you strive and fight and claw to get ahead in. Joy is being content with whatever the Lord brings your way.
The greatest sin of the Western world is an ungrateful spirit. We need to change and have a gratitude attitude.
Look at your life. Look at all you have. Money, even if you don't have a job, a home to live in. A car. A TV. Friends, family, this church.
According to the world bank, Over 2.1 billion people in the developing world lived on less than US $ 3.10 a day.
Probably 7/8ths of the world's population would gladly change places with any of you and live here in paradise. Yet I hear Aussies whinge and whine so much about what they haven't got, rather than rejoice at what they do have!
Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Philippians 4:12, Paul shares his testimony...
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
So how do you get this contentment?
Proverbs 19:23
The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.
If you want 2016 to be the best year ever, start being content with what you do have rather than striving for what you do not have. Funny thing is, if you are truly grateful and if you truly seek God, most of what you are striving for comes your way anyway!
Psalms 37:4
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Seek God's face in 2016, not just His hand!
Set your mind on the things of God. Turn off that TV show, and start filling your mind and heart with godly, worthwhile things. As Paul says,
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
MAKE WISE CHOICES
William Jennings Bryan once said, “Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved.”
Your choices determine your destiny. Stop blaming others for what happens to you, make wise choices.
More than that, make Godly choices.
Isaiah 30:21
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
God can and will lead your steps in 2016, if you take your hand off the steering wheel and let Him drive.
So this year, take a chance on God. I dare you!
A survey in an old people's home asked, what one thing would you change in your life. Number one answer... I would take more chances.
Humans love being secure, but if you want to get ahead, taking calculated risks is part of the deal. Question is... Who do you trust in? Yourself, investment advisors, so called experts... Or God?
Malachi 3:10
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.
God says take a chance on me. He says it in the tithe, and it applies to every aspect of life. He literally says test me, take a chance on Me. So to make 2016 the best year, take a chance on God.
I'm not suggesting that you start gambling. Listen to the Lord, have quiet times daily, seek godly advice, make wise and well thought out decisions, research, be informed and pray like crazy. But take some chances guys! Don't just sit and wait. It is easier to steer a moving ship.
Luke 9:23-24
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.
So to take a chance with God, take up your cross daily. Not every Sunday, every day! If you play it safe and try to save your life, you lose it. If you lose your life for Him, you save it!
So do it now! Don't look back with regret on 2016 with would've, could've, should've. No, 2016 is the year of stepping out and trusting God, taking a chance on Him and seeing Him provide exceeding abundantly.
Are you ready to choose life in 2016? Are you willing to step out and take a chance with God?
STAY THE COURSE FOR AN EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANTLY LIFE
This is the hardest of my 5 points, because it takes the longest!
New Years resolutions are only followed through by 8% of people. That means 92% of people fail. They only fail when they give up.
In other words, they start with a bang, but soon crumble. If you are going to make 2016 the best year ever, start with God and, as Winston Churchill famously said, "Never, never, never give up."
Philippians 3:13-14
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Let's run with perseverance in 2016, and let us run together as one body, one family in unity!
So where do you start?
Start the Bible reading and keep going. Start praying every day, and don't stop. Start coming to church every Sunday, and keep doing it all year. Don't get distracted, don't go to the beach, don't sleep in. Make a commitment and see it through. The Sunshine Coast has a tremendous amount of flaking into and out of church, so let's get serious in 2016, and let's see it through together to make 2016 the year if exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or imagine!
Monday Dec 14, 2015
Monday Dec 14, 2015
Christmas is a time of joy, of peace on earth and goodwill to all men who love God, but today I want to talk about something we have probably never though if about Christmas...
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN GOD MESSES UP YOUR PLANS?
Most of you here love God, but that doesn't mean He is at your beck and call! Somehow along the way we have started to see God as a Celestial Santa Clause. If we're nice and not naughty, If we go to church, if we pray and ask in the right way, then God will grant our request, whatever it is, right?
Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
In the message it says...
Proverbs 19:21
We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but God's purpose prevails.
How dare we presume to tell God what we want. He's not our servant, but we should be His. We tend to tell Him what we want, and expect Him to grant our request. How rude, how presumptuous, how pathetic of us!
Kristi my daughter was 4 and her mum was talking to a friend. Kristi tried to but in, and Fiona told her she had to wait, as she was talking. Kristi came back a minute later and said, "I've put the stove timer on, you've got 5 minutes!" Amusing, yet also presumptuous, rude and pathetic. She had no power or rights to enforce this, and either do we!
At Christmas, we expect joy, we expect people to behave in a loving way, and we are often let down. That's life folks, and I want to look at the first Christmas story to remind and to encourage you to look beyond the season to see God's reason, to look beyond Santa Clause to see God's true cause! To seek not Christmas presents, but seek His presence!
So today, let's look at the Christmas message, one we are mostly familiar with, and let's see what happened...
Luke 2:1-7
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
And all went to be registered, each to his own town.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.
And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
1. MARY AND JOSEPH PLANNED A MARRIAGE
Experts think that Joseph was an older man, possibly even in his 70s, and that Mary was a young girl, around 12-14 years of age. However distasteful you may find it, this was their culture, and it was an arranged marriage, entirely normal at the time. This is why Joseph disappears from the gospels, having died of old age in the period when his stepson Jesus was growing up.
So this Union was planned and arranged according to their culture, but this was pretty much the only thing that went to plan!
2. THEY DID NOT PLAN A SUPERNATURAL VISITOR
Mary never saw the visit of an angel coming!
Luke 1:28-30
And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”
But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.
And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
Confronted by a strange man, she would have been forgiven for checking around to see if she was on Candid Camera! Is this going on YouTube? She is told that she will bear a child without having sex to conceive him, and look at how she responds...
Luke 1:38
And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
A little about Mary... The Catholic Church has made her into a saint, and Mary worship is still alive and well. She never set out to be a saint. She certainly never thought herself to have divine powers!
But we evangelicals have gone the other way. We give Mary next to no credit at all. In fact, Mary at the tender age of say 14, was an amazing woman of God.
How do I know this? Not just because God chose her to bear Messiah in Israel, possibly the greatest honour in the nation for a woman, but by how she responds to the message.
The Magnificat is her response recorded in Luke, and it is almost pure scripture...
Luke 1:46-55 (Highlights)
And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
This young girl knew her Bible folks, and I know of few 14 year old girls who can quote scripture like Mary! She was a truly Godly young woman.
3. THEY DID NOT PLAN A PREGNANCY
Matthew 1:18-19
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
Joseph was shocked that Mary was pregnant, and he knew it wasn't his! My daughter Kristi had only a 5 month engage, and there was some gossip that she might be pregnant. It was false.
Imagine the embarrassment, the fear (possible stoning), the shame. And she was still a virgin. Mary had plans, but God messes them up!
4. THEY DID NOT PLAN A TRIP
Nine months pregnant, Mary faced a trip back to the backwater of Bethlehem. They could have gone to a resort on the coast, they could have travelled business class, but they travelled donkey class, and walked. Imagine that at 40 weeks pregnant!
When Joseph and Mary set off, it wasn't a pleasure trip. Caesar Augustus, arguably the greatest of the Roman Emperors, had decreed a census, so he could extract more taxes from people.
So there were lots of people on the move, headed towards their home towns. Our heroes were headed to Bethlehem, about 6 miles south of Jerusalem.
Back in ancient Israel, it was winter. It was cold, windy and you have to travel everywhere on foot. No trains, planes or automobiles. Just feet, and if you were really lucky, maybe a donkey or a horse.
And Mary was 9 months pregnant! They won't even let you fly when you are beyond 37 weeks, so how about sitting on a boney old ass, or walking along a rough old road. Talk about hard traveling!
Plus: no Mcdonalds. No KFC. No burger joints, no truck stops and no Holiday Inns! Just hard miles in bandit controlled territory in the middle of winter. It took days, hard dusty travel, and they camped wherever they could. Which bright spark of a travel agent organised this mess!
5. THEY DID NOT PLAN A STABLE
I can imagine Mary turning to Joseph and asking, "You didn't say stable, I'm sure you said the Hilton!"
No room at the inn... Who planned this trip? Will our travel insurance cover our accommodation change? Where's the restaurant, where's the pool? Does it come with wifi?
Now I know you've see the nativity scenes, but this was unlike any of the brochures. It wasn't clean and neat, it was a stable, maybe even a cave of some sort. Dirty, smelly, full of cow poo, possibly flees, certainly dust.
What a place for the Saviour of the world to make His appearance!
Psalms 33:11
But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.
6. THEY DID NOT PLAN FOR VISITORS
Here they are, a dirty, smelly stable surrounded by animals, and next thing you know people start arriving! Guests? Already? There's no wine or cheese platters in the fridge... There's no fridge. There's not even a bed or a room. Just straw, cows, chooks and smell.
So Shepherds show up, and some time later the Magi or wise men from a far away nation. I know when unexpected visitors show up at our house, we have a mad clean up, and I bet you do too. But how do you clean up a stable? They brought gifts, sure, but this whole set up doesn't make any frankenscence! I can't take it any myrrh.
7. THEY DID NOT PLAN TO BECOME FUGITIVES
Matthew 2:13
When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
So there they were, new born baby, on the run from the law! Who planned this? Certainly not Mary and Joseph. Chased by the authorities, the 1st century equivalent of Tommy Lee Jones is hunting them down, it's like Breaking Bad meets 3 wise men and a baby!
8. THEY DID NOT PLAN FOR THEIR SON TO BE MESSIAH
Everyone wants their child to become great. We want little Kaileigh to become an awesome, amazing woman of God. But even after the visit of the Angels, with all the plans Mary had for her child, who'd have thought things would have rolled out as they did.
That He would be Messiah.
Isaiah 9:6-7
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
That He would challenge the priests and authorities. That He would be faithful all his life. Who knew that He would die a cruel, criminal's death. Who saw God's plans, that the magnificent Creator, the Son of God should leave His throne and die for us?
Philippians 2:6-11
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
So this Christmas, with all your plans, hopes, family time, gifts, food and maybe loneliness, pain and conflict, you need to find God and draw close to Him. This Christmas, are you seeking God's hand, or are you seeking His face.
Is Jesus your Christian Santa, or is He the Lord of your life?
God has a plan for your life. It may not be exactly our plans, just as it wasn't Mary and Joseph's plans, it may not be what we want, but He sees the whole picture, not just our little, limited bit!
To illustrate, here's a poem popularised by Corrie Ten Boom
My Life is but a weaving
between my Lord and me;
I cannot choose the colors
He worketh steadily.
Oft times He weaveth sorrow
And I, in foolish pride,
Forget He sees the upper,
And I the under side.
Not til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly,
Shall God unroll the canvas
And explain the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful
In the Weaver’s skillful hand,
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.
He knows, He loves, He cares,
Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives His very best to those
Who leave the choice with Him.
He is weaving the incredible tapestry of your life. This Christmas, as you make your plans, are you willing to let God mess them up. Even if you don't understand what He us doing?
Today I want to pray for those facing major decisions at this time.
Monday Dec 07, 2015
Monday Dec 07, 2015
Text:
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.
For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
We have looked at broken hearts, heartaches and hard hearts, but today, and particularly at this time of the year, I want to talk about something that affects us all.
Who came here today hoping to be discouraged? Who came hoping to have their hopes dashed and hoping that, during the service, they would totally lose heart for living? No one, right. In fact, most of you are here to receive the opposite, to be encouraged and built up.
But the truth is, even if we try hard, even with the best of intentions, all of us at some stage lose heart. Some call it discouragement, some call it running out of steam, but losing heart is something we all face at some time.
There is an old legend that tells of how on one occasion the devil put his tools up for sale. Each item was marked with a price. There was hatred, envy, jealously, lying, pride, and several other items. Yet there was one item that was well worn, yet was marked at an extremely high price. A buyer pointed at the item and asked, ''What is the name of that tool?'' The devil answered, ''That is losing heart.'' The buyer asked, ''Why have you priced it so high?'' The devil replied, ''Because it is more useful to me than other tool. It is badly worn because I have used it so much.''
Losing heart is a well-used tool of the devil. If you have been a Christian for any period of time most likely there has been a time when you found yourself discouraged, not in sin necessarily, not evil or rebellious, just simply losing heart. Maybe that's you right now!
WHY DO WE LOSE HEART?
There are times when we get discouraged or lose heart. We feel like the circumstances of life are mowing us down. We feel like everything that is happening to us is a scythe cutting our feet out from under us or is like a knife that is cutting down our hopes, goals, and ambitions.
Unless you're the energiser bunny, running at full pace forever is not likely to be a reality. So why do we lose heart, and what sort of things discourage us in our lives and our walk with God?
1. TRIALS
In the passage we looked at before Paul talks about losing heart. It is interesting the look some verses earlier to identify one of the causes he faced...
2 Corinthians 4:8-9
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;
When thing come against us, especially when they do so again and again, that's when we start to lose heart.
So what is it that has smashed into you again and again?
Is it a broken heart, is it a particular person, is it your family or your work? Perhaps it's a persistent disease like chronic allergies, cancer or even a battle with mental illness. If this thing hits you hard enough and long enough, and repeatedly enough, you will start to lose heart.
2. WEARINESS IN DOING GOOD
Galatians 6:9
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
The Greek word for "give up" is eklyo which means literally to faint, to grow weary, to dissolve, to weaken or become faint hearted. It refers to exhaustion to the point of feebleness.
Doing good for others is a great thing, but I can tell you that your good works and intentions are often thrown back in your face but the very people you are trying to help! Their self centredness seems to trump your good works. When this happens enough, you become weary in doing good, and you can easily lose heart.
3. TIREDNESS
Have you ever run or played sport and been so tired you can't think straight, and you cannot even coordinate your arms and legs?
In our house we are currently staying up sometimes all night settling my beautiful granddaughter, and the next day I am tired, weary and struggling to function at work.
Late in the year, school functions on, Christmas parties, family events, everybody just gets tired. You don't have to be doing super spiritual stuff, you just get physically tired.
Exodus 17:12
But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side.
Moses was not tired in spirit, he was just physically tired. If you get tired enough you can often lose heart.
Isaiah 40:30-31
Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
4. BEING LET DOWN BY OTHERS
If you trust people, even good people, it is likely that they will let you down at some point. When they do, you can lose heart.
Maybe you have trusted a politician who goes back on their promises. Maybe a friend who turns on you or believes a bad report about you. This one happens to me at times, and it can make you lose heart.
Perhaps you trusted your partner in life and they betrayed you, maybe had an affair, maybe spoke badly of you without cause. Maybe your children have let you down or grown apart from you.
Maybe even the church has hurt you and let you down. Perhaps they promised things they could not deliver, or maybe they tried to control your life. Maybe they just we're not there when you needed them. Perhaps a pastor offended you.
All of these things can cause you to lose heart, but here's the advice of God's Word...
Psalms 118:8
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.
5. REPEATED FAILURE
We all fail, in fact failure is a good thing when it is part of the learning process. But you suffer enough failure, enough rejection, enough discouragement and you can easily lose heart!
Gideon is a good example. When the Angel visited him, he was threshing wheat in a wine press, because he feared the Midianites. Let's tune in to the conversation between the Lord and young Gideon...
Judges 6:13-15
And Gideon said to him, “Please, sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?”
And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.”
Enough failure causes a loss of heart, and a feeling of wanting to give up before you even start! It's ok, it's normal, but you don't want to stay there!
6. SETTING THE BAR TOO HIGH
Isaiah 29:13 (NIV)
“These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.
Man's laws will sap your strength and cause you to lose heart, but God's rules are Spirit and bring life
Romans 7:6
But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.
Many people set almost impossible standards of holiness and behaviour, then lose heart when they never reach perfection in the rules that they, not God, demanded of themselves.
Before you make blanket rules, make sure God is in them. Some are easy... Should I commit adultery? Of course not, God's Word tells me that it sin. Should I listen to JJJ radio? That's a whole different thing!
Look, we all need aims and goals to move ahead in life, but ask God what He wants you to do, don't make up your own, impossible to achieve, pharisaical, pseudo religious laws that will cause you to fail and lose heart!
7. DISOBEDIENCE
When you are in sin and disobedient to God, you will grow apart from Him, and that will cause you to lose heart because you lose hope.
Psalms 66:18
If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
Sin separates us from God, and then we start to lose hope, and consequently lose heart.
SIGNS OF "LOSING HEART"
A. LACK OF PERSISTENCE IN PRAYER AND BIBLE STUDY (NOT SO VISIBLE TO OTHERS)
While there are many signs of losing heart that people can see, this is one that many people keep well hidden.
Jesus clearly equates your prayer life with losing heart...
Luke 18:1
And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
Most often, the first sign that you are losing heart is sporadic prayer and quiet times. Strong Christians always spend much time in prayer...
Colossians 4:2
Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
A sure sign that you are losing heart is when you "don't have enough time" for prayer and Bible Study. If your quiet times slip, you start to lose heart, and the closer you are to the Lord, the more full of joy you will be, regardless of circumstances!
B. GROWING WEARY IN DOING GOOD (VISIBLE TO OTHERS)
As we saw before, Paul equates losing heart with doing good. If you find you do not have compassion and love towards others, chances are you are losing heart.
C. FORSAKING THE FELLOWSHIP OF BELIEVERS
Church should be a place where are encouraged. It should be a place where you connect with like minded people, and out of church you can reach out to and minister to people across the street or around the world.
Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
When you start to lose heart you almost always start to move away from fellowship and isolate yourself from the church. When you do this, you can't bless others or have others bless you in the church.
How many people, good people who love God, are disenfranchised from church today. They may have been youth leaders, worship leaders, elders or even pastors, but so many fine Christian men and women are so hurt and so discouraged by the church that they have forsaken meeting with believers.
When you lose heart, you start to isolate yourself, and a sure sign of losing heart is not wanting to go to church.
THE SECRET TO NOT LOSING HEART
1. REALISE THAT BEING WEARY IS NOT A SIN, BUT LOSING HEART CAN BE
Being tired isn't sin, it's normal, especially at this time of the year. But if you let that tiredness change you, if you let your stress and weariness penetrate your heart so you begin to lose heart, this changes everything.
You become cynical, touchy, on edge. You get snappy and even depressed. That's what losing heart looks like to those around you.
Get tired... Sure. Lose sleep... Probably. But lose heart? We must never lose heart!
2. STOP AND APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE
You have so much. We are the lucky country, despite what the media tells you!
Materially, most of us have so much. With our social security system, there is still poverty, sure, but not on the scale we see in other nations. Much of our poverty is due to addictions or mental illness. I've stood in a slum in India. We have nothing like that here.
In fact experts tell us that nearly half the world lives on less that $2.50 a day.
Great weather, a wonderful place to live. While we are complaining about heat and humidity, northern hemisphere friends tell me about snow and freezing conditions.
What about your family, your work, your ministry...
2 Corinthians 4:1
Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.
Think of all the opportunities you have to serve and bless people. Appreciate what you have and who you are. The greatest sin of the western world is an ungrateful spirit!
3. UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN YOU ARE WEAK HE IS STRONG
2 Corinthians 12:10
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Paul suffered persecution, insults, slander, poverty, discomfort, loneliness, fear, being let down... But he could say those words.
It is not about you! It's always about Jesus, and it's about Jesus Christ in you. That's the power source to stop you losing heart. Not you, Him!
4. PRESS ON
We live in a society that tells you you deserve to be happy and comfortable. We don't learn to press through the pain barrier, we give up. "Oh, it's all too hard!" We proclaim!
When you are standing on the podium you forget the pain. You forget the hours of toil, discomfort, time and energy you invested into your sport. The hours of practice, the discipline, the pain.
Philippians 3:13-14
But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Don't give up! Don't lose heart! The pain is temporary, but realising your goals in life lasts a whole lot longer, and your eternal goals last forever!
5. SET YOUR MIND ON THINGS ABOVE
Colossians 3:2
Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
How do you do this? Simple, get into God's Word and get to know Him even more. Fill your mind with not just goodness, but Godness! Turn the TV off, get off Facebook and get serious about quiet times, Devotionals, prayer, church and fellowship.
Filling your mind with the right things is how you renew your mind, and when your mind is renewed, you never lose heart!
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.
For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Are you tired today? Are you losing heart, even just a little? Now is the time to be renewed inwardly as you open your heart to God and let Him revitalise and restore your flagging, tired heart.
Monday Nov 30, 2015
Monday Nov 30, 2015
Last week we looked at a problem we all face at some point... A broken heart. And the thing is that, if your heart is broken often enough it becomes a heartache, and if you struggle with the heartache for long enough, you eventually move on to the heart problem we are dealing with today... A hard heart!
WHAT'S CAUSED YOUR HARD HEART?
People don't get hard hearted overnight, it's a process that usually takes years. It is the result of having your heart repeatedly broken, and the problem with a hard heart is that it tends to not be specific... It other words, you're not just hardened to the one who hurt you, it affects every aspect of your life.
So if someone has broken your heart, for example an ex, then you are not only hard towards him or her, you are hard towards everyone else, even if you don't mean to be. So your kids, your family, your friends, people who had nothing to do with the initial hurt, will be hurt by your hardness of heart! You begin to lack empathy or compassion, you become legalistic and rigid, and eventually you become incredibly selfish!
Luke has just started playing the guitar, and he showed me his red raw fingertips. I have played for years, and I feel no pain from the guitar strings. Why? Because, after repeated abuse of my fingertips by the guitar strings, my fingertips are calloused... They are hard on top!
If I stripped that hard layer of calloused skin off, underneath they are as raw as Luke's. Underneath your hard heart, you are as raw and in pain as ever! You've just covered it over with a hard, protective shell, and you live in fear that somewhere, somehow, someone is going to break through your toughened shell and hurt you all over again!
Isaiah 6:10
Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
A hard heart stops healing and blocks your relationship with others and with God.
A HARD HEART IS A PROTECTIVE RESPONSE
Humans protect themselves... It's instinctive, it's what we do. Throw a ball at someone, they duck. Hurt someone, they put up walls, and this is the basis of a hard heart.
You might have sadness, hurt, or bitter disappointment. You may have been in love, but that love wasn’t returned. You might have been left alone by someone who promised they would never leave. You might have a child that you love more than anything; one that you would sacrifice your own life for; and they have rejected your love and guidance and relationship.
You might have a broken heart for someone who has passed on; someone you will never see again this side of heaven. You might even be experiencing a breakdown in your relationship to God because of your broken heart.
But go through this enough and you begin to harden your heart, in an effort to say, "I ain't gonna be hurt like this no more!"
A hard heart is a protective response.
And it works for sin too. When you first commit a sin you feel guilty. When you do the same sin again and again, you start to feel less guilty, less convicted. Is it his because the gravity of the sin is decreasing over time?
No, it's because you harden your heart against the guilt, and as a result become calloused to the leading of God. The sin is just as wrong as it ever was, it's just that your conscience is so seared, so damaged, your heart is so hard, that you are no longer sensitive to the guilt any more.
You are hardening your heart, just as Pharaoh did...
Exodus 10:17
Now therefore, forgive my sin, please, only this once, and plead with the Lord your God only to remove this death from me.”
Just 3 verses later... Exodus 10:20
But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go.
So a hardened heart is designed to protect you from pain, from hurt, from heartache or from guilt, but it results in several things...
A HARD HEART ANGERS GOD
Jesus wanted to heal a man in desperate need, and the Pharisees are busy debating whether it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath. This made Jesus mad...
Mark 3:5
And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.
And your hard heart makes Him mad today!
It angers Him because it hurts you, and it hurts others around you. Hard hearted people lack empathy and compassion... Their harshness drives people away!
A HARD HEART DRIVES GOD AND HIS WORD AWAY
Zechariah 7:12-13
They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts.
“As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,” says the Lord of hosts,
You cannot hear God, and He won't hear you if you have a hard heart. (Psalm 66:18) If you want the Lord to bless and guide you, having a hard heart is simply not an option, no matter how justifiable the cause is!
A HARD HEART HURTS OTHERS AROUND YOU
Hurt people hurt people, and if your heart is hard, you have little compassion for those around you. I recently had a situation in Lily House where someone who had been forgiven much, to whom grace had been extended several times, got really angry that we extended the same grace to another girl. This is what happens to a hard heart. We lose compassion. We forget about how the Lord has blessed us, and demand He judge others if we perceive them to be in sin.
I was reminded of the parable of the Unforgiving Servant...
Matthew 18:27-30
And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.
But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’
So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’
He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt.
Other people tend to draw away from and even avoid hard hearted people. But having a hard heart is not God's plan for your life...
GOD OFFERS A NEW HEART, NOT A HARD HEART
To overcome a hard heart you need radical heart surgery. Bandaids won't do, you need more than that! In Ezekiel God says this...
Ezekiel 36:26-27
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
God knows our hearts can be black places at times, and they can be hard as diamond. But He can remove a stony, hard, selfish, evil heart and replace it with a heart of flesh, a heart that feels and empathises and cares and loves others.
And He does it by His Spirit. And when He does it, you need to covenant to walk with Him day by day.
A NEW HEART OF FLESH
God has a plan for your life, and it not only involves what you want, but it also encompasses God's desire to see you bless and impart blessing into the lives of others around you. You are His advertisement, His billboard to a hurting, grieving, selfish, hard hearted world and sometimes you are the only ad for Jesus people will ever see!
That's why He longs to remove the stoney heart and replace your heart with something new, something alive and fresh, something that beats for Jesus and for mankind!
HOW DOES A HEART GET HARD?
Life can be pretty tough at times. We talk about the school of hard knocks, and many of us have been through tough times. Sometimes it is of our own making, but sometimes it just slams into us, broadsides us and wipes us out.
LIFE'S CIRCUMSTANCES
We frequently see Lily House girls who have been kicked around by life, circumstances, people, parents, drugs, etc. some of these ladies are tough, some are really hard hearted. They're not bad or evil, just hard.
But God wants them to be soft. No matter what they have been through, He wants to put a heart of flesh into them.
LIFE'S RELATIONSHIPS
It might be a broken relationship. In fact, a broken relationship is one of the prime causes of hard hearts. And why does our heart get hard?
Self Preservation!
When someone breaks our heart, our trust is broken. We trust someone like a boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, kids, parents... Or a close friend, but sometimes they let us down.
Hurt people hurt people
Hurt people actually push away those trying to help them... Even God Himself. After the parable of the sower, Jesus quotes Isaiah...
Matthew 13:15
For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’
LIFE'S SIN
Unbelievers, or believers who ignore God and blatantly continue in sin, develop hard hearts. Look at this, talking about unbelievers and their hard hearts towards God...
Ephesians 4:18-19
They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.
They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.
Some people today practice clearly godless lifestyles and convince themselves that God is ok with it. How can that happen? Is God ok with stuff He has not been ok with for centuries, things clearly spoken against in His Word? Has God changed His position, has the God of Abraham and Elijah become the God if the politically correct compromiser, keeping the peace and just loving everyone despite their disobedience, or have these people calloused and hardened their hearts?
If you don't know Jesus, you are lost in your hardness of heart. If you claim to be a Christian, it's time to break through the hardness in your heart, its time to humbly and prayerfully ask God for a heart of flesh. However confronting, however difficult, however painful this might be, I challenge you to risk everything to break through your hard heart's outer shell.
IT'S TIME TO BREAK UP THE FALLOW GROUND...
Hosea 10:12
Sow for yourselves righteousness;
reap steadfast love;
break up your fallow ground,
for it is the time to seek the Lord,
that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.
Jeremiah 4:3. “Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns."
Fallow ground is ground which has once been tilled, but has gotten hard and now lies waste. Much of our lives are like this. Hard, crusty, bitter. In other words, our heart is hard!
Our lives could be productive, and maybe once were, but has your heart been prepared for planting... Is it ready for blessings and righteousness.
Or is it unused and unusable unless something happens...
A hard heart needs to be broken up and made soft again, before it is ready to receive seed. A hard heart is not a fruitful place!
Pause right now and ask God where your heart is at.
Let's look at the Hebrew words used in Hosea 10:12
Sow: Heb, to sow, plant or scatter seed, to make pregnant
You can sow righteousness, but if your heart is fallow, nothing will grow. Sow, water, wait... Nothing good grows!
The Hebrew word for Break up means "to make a furrow", from a root word meaning to glisten, ie a furrow of glistening light.
So this passage says that, in order to see fruit and blessing in your life, you need to break up your crusty, hard heart, and this is always painful!
Breaking up fallow ground requires you to the following:
STUMPS AND WEEDS
You need to dig up stumps and weeds, stuff that has grown in your life but is detrimental to your walk
Removing stumps is a big, hard, painful job! You need to it around the stump, then maybe use a vehicle or brute strength to leverage it out.
What's been growing in your hard heart previously? Hatred, resentment, bitterness, lust, greed, selfishness? These must be rooted out so a new crop can be planted. Grain doesn't flourish under the shade of trees. They must be removed so the new crop can grow in the light, however hard and however painful. You cannot sow around it, you need to dig it out!
CRUSTY SURFACE
You need to break up the surface, the crust, the hardness, because seed cannot sink its roots through the hard surface unless it is broken up.
Unbelief is a hard surface, and it takes time, pain and work to break the fallow ground. Maybe you've been discouraged by believing for things that have just not happened. You get hard hearted as a defence, but you must realise that this defence is killing your trust of God!
That hardness of unbelief must be faced squarely and broken up if God is to plant something new and fruitful in your heart. Heartfelt repentance and confession is one way of plowing deep.
When is the last time you were literally on your knees broken before the Lord?
LARGE ROCKS
Sometimes you hit large rocks as you plough up the ground. Many of these you cannot remove by yourself, so seek the help of others.
Maybe it is a previous experience, failed relationship, a loss too hard to bear alone. Talk to a godly friend or counsellor, or the pastors.
THORNS AND BRIARS
Thorns must be gathered and burned!
Weeds are a scourge to the farmer. You have to constantly pull them. Fallow ground is generally covered in them, in fact weeds are pretty much the only thing that will grow on fallow ground! They have to be destroyed.
On our farm we had a weed called groundsel. It was hardy, grew like crazy and was impossible to pull, you had to cut and poison it. So what are your thorns and briars?
Jesus describes them for us... Worries of life, deceitfulness of wealth (Matt 13:22), desires for other things (Mark 4:19), riches and pleasure (Luke 8:14).
Depending on your particular plot of land, those thorns could be sexual temptations and lust, self-indulgence, pride, anger, selfishness, a love of entertainment and recreation, addictions, greed, selfishness, laziness, etc.
Each of these chokes the Word in your life, and ruins the crop. Do not work around them, rip them out and destroy them!
Don't just out them to one side and let them reseed into your field, burn them and be rid of them!
Spurgeon said," If my mind remains as obdurate as it was by nature, the sun of trial will scorch, and my hard heart will help to cast the heat the more terribly upon the ill- covered seed, and my religion will soon die, and my despair will be terrible; therefore, O heavenly Sower, plough me first, and then cast the truth into me, and let me yield Thee a bounteous harvest."
CONCLUSION: YOU CAN OVERCOME A HARD HEART
So, what is the state of your heart right now? Are you soft towards God, or so hurt that you've hardened up? Is the field of your heart soft and ready to receive seed, ready to produce a harvest 30, 60, 100 fold, or is it hard and crusty, a wasteland.
Here's the measure...
How close are you right now to God? Do you long to spend time with Him? Are you having quiet times at all? Are you reading His Word, and praying all day? Are you nursing long felt hurts that have made you bitter, crusty me hard?
I find the time I spend with God is a direct reflection of where I am at with Him, and how hard my heart is. Hard hearts are really tough to examine, and often painful, and they will limit your life in Christ.
So right now is the time to sort this out before next year, so you can start afresh in 2016 with a heart of flesh, not stone!
Don't just sit there hard hearted... Don't let this seed fall lifeless upon the callous, hardened soil of your heart. Stop, examine yourself and let God breakthrough right now to set you free from the shell, the tough exterior that limits your life.
Life abundantly awaits those brave enough to break through a hard heart. Is that you?
Monday Nov 23, 2015
Monday Nov 23, 2015
Here's the study notes on how to blow up a church, using a little part of your body...
God has already done marvelous things here at Coast Church, but Satan is not happy and wants to disrupt what is happening here. One of our strengths has been unity, but over the last several weeks this has been under attack. Not all out war, but like the attack on Paris last week, many small but deadly attacks have taken place.
It is late in the year. People are tired, run down, stressed, and therefore less patient and kind, and we have had several incidences of people speaking aggressively and hurtfully to each other.
This message not a shot at anyone, but a timely reminder that we must give account for every careless word spoken (Matthew 12:36), and that we can either live together in unity as one body or tear each other apart.
I know every person here, myself included, has particular buttons than when pressed we react rather than respond God's way. Many things I can let slide and be gracious about, but there are some things I am so passionate about I cannot help but react. It's HOW we respond that's the question here, not what the offence is or how passionate we are about it!
John 13:34-35
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
In any issue with each other in this church, it's not about whether you are right or wrong, the issue is do we speak to each other with Grace, love and unity!
Make no mistake, you can blow up a church using only your tongue! When we sacrifice unity to get our own way or our own opinion validated, we are potentially blowing up the church! Listen to what God gave me in my quiet time this week...
1 Corinthians 1:10-11
I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers.
Paul was talking about the big picture. “Look,” he was saying, “you’re never going to agree on all the details, but those details don’t matter as much as you think they do. What matters is that you love God and that you help each other follow the way of Jesus.”
Listen to this story...
On the plains of western Canada, early in the fall of the year, during the wheat harvest a three-year-old girl wandered from the yard of her farm home, out into the tall grain and became lost. As night fell and the cold became more intense, the child's father and dozens of neighbors searched frantically through the fields in a fruitless effort to find her. They searched trying not to damage the wheat, but could not find her.
Finally one of the men called the search to a halt, and suggested that they all join hands and, like a giant combine, comb through the field. This would destroy the wheat harvest, but at this stage the farmer was desperate. They joined hands and finally in the bitter-cold hours just before dawn the child's lifeless body was found. The little girl had succumbed to exhaustion and cold and died of exposure.
In anguish, the poor grief-stricken father cried out, "Brothers, we should have joined hands sooner!"
Psalms 133
Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,
life forevermore.
BEING RIGHT BUT WRONG
You can be right, but do it all wrong. You can win a small battle but lose the war. You can feel justified yet get angry and lash out, and you can be morally right but hurt others. Anger is not necessarily wrong, but how you handle it, how you display it can be very, very wrong, even if you are right in principle!
Ephesians 4:26-27
Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
and give no opportunity to the devil.
AW TOZER says, "Anger is neither right nor wrong in itself. It can be used for either good or evil—just as a knife can be a surgeon’s scalpel or a murderer’s weapon. Anger can be a powerful tool for confronting wrong. Selfish or manipulative anger, however, can cause great harm. Such anger becomes destructive when it controls us rather than us controlling it."
So, when we feel we are in the right, we fight, and sometimes we don't fight fair.
Add into the mix perceptions, hurts and past experiences, and you have a recipe for disunity that the enemy can exploit!
While there is some debate about the percentages, it is true that non verbal communication has a large bearing on what we convey or hear, or think we hear. Non verbal cues include body language, gestures and the tone of our voice.
You can say conciliatory words in an aggressive manner and the listener will think you are attacking them. You can say speak quietly while shaking your finger in their face with the same result. It's not necessarily what we say, it's how we say it, or text it, or Facebook it!
Even if you believe you are right, if you do not act in love you are a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. Without love, you are nothing 1 Corinthians 13 says!
MY OPINION IS NOT SCRIPTURE
Somewhere in this crazy, mixed up world we have stumbled across the idea that my opinion is really, really important. This idea is increasing, and I think social media has a lot to do with it. Suddenly through Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram and the like, the opinions of the little guy gets an airing.
Ashton, a friend of mine, bought a jeep. It was a lemon, and he tried and tried to make Jeep listen to his complaints. They fobbed him off, then basically told him to get lost, though he tried to be heard over about a year. He started a Facebook campaign, and got national TV coverage as he beat his jeep to a pulp. The little guy has a voice!
Or what about Canadian country musician Dave Carroll who's guitar was broken by United airlines baggage handlers at Chicago's O'Hare airport. He tried to get it replaced, they told him to take a hike, and he wrote a song called "United Breaks Guitars" which went viral in 2009 shattering United's public profile to the point where they begged him to remove it. The little guy has a voice!
So we think that our little voices are all important, and the only valid opinion. That's why people vent on Facebook, because they have a potentially large audience for the first time in history.
And this attitude has spilled over into the church, where we think that expressing our opinion is more important than, say, the unity of believers!
The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion- Paulo Coelho
ARE YOU RIGHT WITH YOUR RIGHTS
Solomon's son Rehoboam was King... He had the right to command all of his subjects, the entire nation of Israel. But after his father's death, the northern tribes approached him to ask that he might be kinder to them and less demanding of them than his father.
2 Chronicles 10:4
“Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you.”
He sought advice, and ignored the wise, older men instead listening to his mates down the pub...
2 Chronicles 10:13-14
And the king answered them harshly; and forsaking the counsel of the old men,
King Rehoboam spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.”
One statement and he lost 3/4 of his kingdom, and it didn't have to be that way! He was within his rights as a king, but when they came seeking compromise, he answered harshly!
We live in a world that cries out for rights, but is that right in the church?
We have refugees demanding we treat them in a certain way when they come to our country, we have the gay movement saying if we disagree with them we are violating their human rights. We have native land rights, gay rights, women's and men's rights, human rights, we have ethnic minorities demanding rights, the unemployed want their rights, prisoners want rights, we've got save the whale, save the koala, everybody demands their rights, what they think they deserve!
We should just wrap them all together and have land rights for gay whales and be done with it!
Because when you come to Jesus, you forsake all of your demands and rights and you get only one right... The right to serve your Lord and Master!
Christ gave up everything for us. He left His Father’s side to assume a frail human body. He who should have been served became a servant. He turned Himself over to the brutality of human hatred and He died a convict’s death. Who are we to quibble over trivialities and cling to our “rights?”
As Christians, we cannot, indeed we must not, demand our rights over that of someone else.
Matthew 23:11
The greatest among you shall be your servant.
Want to be great? Want to be honoured? Want to be loved and respected? Be a servant! That's how God's Kingdom works. Jesus, the King of Kings, washed the disciples' feet to show us God's way rather than man's way! When you fire up and lash out, you might feel justified but you will lose people's respect!
So where on earth, and I use that phrase deliberately because it is not from heaven, do we get the idea that we should fight in the church, nearly come to blows with our brothers and sisters, all for our rights or our opinions?
Listen, you can be very right but still be very, very wrong in the way you handle it!
Ephesians 4:29
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
The Greek word for corrupting is sapros, which means worthless, rotten, unwholesome or putrid! The image is of an animal, vegetable or fish rotting and smelling to high heaven!
The Greek word for building up is Oikodome, an archetectural term meaning to erect, to edify and, by implication for the early church, to promote another's growth in wisdom, piety or happiness.
Let me ask you... Is getting our way so important that we would violate this clear command of Scripture?
Note the next verse...
Ephesians 4:30
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Could it be that, when we are harsh with each other, we actually grieve the Holy Spirit? I believe we do, and in this church, We can't afford to do that!
HOW TO TALK TO EACH OTHER
We are human, and humans inevitably have conflict. People will say things that hurt or offend. But Proverbs provides wisdom on how we should speak to one another...
Proverbs 15:1
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 15:4
A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
Proverbs 25:15
With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue will break a bone.
We are too rough with each other. If you want to turn away wrath, if you want to influence others, learn the secret of the soft tongue. Learn the secret of speaking with grace, dignity, holiness and unity instead of demanding your opinion and rights be upheld.
Learn to control your tongue. Let's not mince words here, let's call it like it is, like James calls it...
James 1:26
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.
I didn't say it, folks, God did! I'm not accusing anyone, just telling you what God Himself says! We are too cutting with our words, in our families, in our social interactions and in the church.
James 3:5-6
So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!
And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and is set on fire by hell.
Listen to this passage in the Message...
James 3:5-6
A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it!
It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.
There is a story of a woman in an Indian village who maliciously gossiped about another lady and her family in the village. One day she found out that she was wrong about this lady and her family and had a change of heart. She went to the village’s wise man and asked how she could take back all the wrong she had done. The wise man told her to go home and kill a chicken and pluck its feathers and put them into a bag. After this she was to go back and see the wise man again, but on her way back she was to scatter all the feathers she had plucked from the chickens.
The lady did as she was told. When she got back to the man, he told her, " now go back and pick up all the feathers that you have scattered. " She said, " Impossible. By now the wind has carried the feathers throughout the village and beyond."
The wise man then said to her,” And so it is with your careless words. They are like the feathers scattered in the wind. You can’t retrieve them. "
Listen to some of the verses from
Romans 12:9-20
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
HOW TO BEHAVE TOWARDS ONE ANOTHER
To be honest, as your pastor, I know there are issues and I do care about what the issues are. But I care more about how it is handled! I listen and understand both sides of the argument. Both are right. Both are wrong. That's not the point!
What matters more is how we relate to one another. What matters most is preserving the unity of our church family, not attacking one another. What matters is the way you speak, the words, the tone, the softness instead of aggression. You won't agree with everything, and that's OK.
The Corinthian church had such heated disagreements they actually went to court to sue each other! But Paul says...
1 Corinthians 6:7
To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?
Here's how to handle disagreements in the church family...
- RECOGNISE OFFENCE
You're hurt, I get it. But you need to recognise that you are hurt. Once you take on this offence, it's not longer about the issue, so don't let the devil fool you. Whatever the issue, it's how you handle it that shines through.
- STOP... RESPOND, DO NOT REACT
Better to walk away than say something destructive. If you take time you will see the situation more clearly and be able to respond in a measured way, not react in a hurt way.
- TAKE IT TO THE LORD
King Hezekiah received an offensive letter, and the first thing he did was take it to God...
Isaiah 37:14-15
Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.
And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord:
When upset or offended, turn first to God. Pray and pray and share it with Him, and He will show you the godly way to respond.
- SHARE THE LOAD IN THE RIGHT WAY
We always talk to others about what others say and do, and mostly this is destructive. We gossip, we slander, we try and get people on our side.
So, if you need to share, choose a mature, balanced godly confident. You can share with myself or one of the other leaders here, but don't go spreading venom around the church and call it sharing!
- DO NOT CONFRONT, BUT CALMLY DISCUSS
Meet with them. Face to face is better. Don't confront, don't go in all aggressive, but gently, humbly and as a servant share your hurt. It is helpful to have a mature person there also. Remember, if the other person is truly "off the reservation", there is a hierarchy in Mathew 18 of how offences should be processed in our family.
- PUT UNITY FIRST
1 Corinthians 12:25
that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.
Can you lay your offence, your issue aside for the sake of Christ, for the sake of unity?
Let me ask you, are you willing, are you humble enough, are you prepared to be vulnerable enough to share your hurt and reach out to those who spoke against you?
Why not suffer a wrong for the Lord?
You might have been accused of being harsh and unreasonable, and your words may have hurt someone else. Let me ask you, are you humble enough to swallow your pride and seek forgiveness?
Why not suffer a wrong for the Lord?
Let me warn you that if the answer is no, then you are carrying a burden you don't need to carry, and frankly you are in sin. Let it go, and let God touch your life, and restore unity in the body!
I am sharing this message not to accuse anyone, but to bring satan's subversive scheme to the surface. To shed light on hat he is trying to do in the darkness. We need unity to function properly. We need to l arm to love each other here, because eternity is a really long time to spend with people you hate!
We have a standard of behaviour to uphold...
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant
or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;
it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.
You can disagree with others without being disagreeable! You may never see eye to eye, but you can walk hand in hand, arm in arm!